Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman awarded the King Abdulaziz Medal First Class posthumously to the two late Saudi scholarship students, Jasser Bin Dahham Al-Yami and Theeb Bin Mane’ Al-Yami, who drowned in the US while trying to rescue two American children.

The King also granted SR1 million to the heirs of each of the two students in appreciation of their heroic deed, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday.

King Salman received the kin of the two students at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Tuesday.

The two scholarship students were laid to rest at Al-Yassin cemetery in Najran earlier this month.

Theeb, 27, and his cousin Jasser, 25, drowned in the Chicopee River in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, while trying to rescue two American children who were being swept away in the river on June 29.

Theeb and Jasser were studying civil engineering in the US for the past five years and were about to graduate in a couple of weeks. Theeb was studying at Hartford University while Jasser was studying at Western University of New England.

Their families had not seen them during the past three years and had been waiting for their graduation and their return to Saudi Arabia. The last contact between the two young men and their families came two days before their death.

The family found out about the tragedy from one of their brothers who is also studying in the US and who received the tragic news from an American fellow student.

He said their families were having a difficult time but they have said they were taking solace that their children died as martyrs and heroes as they drowned while trying to rescue children.

Theeb and Jasser are being hailed as heroes for their act and are being fondly remembered by relatives and friends alike.

Condolences poured in from all across Saudi Arabia and the United States, including from US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, who issued a statement expressing heartfelt condolences.

“The young men drowned while courageously attempting to save children in distress. Their heroism represents the very best of the international students who enrich communities across the United States. Theeb and Jasser were among the 52,000 Saudi students studying in the United States who bring greater international understanding and diverse perspectives to US campuses and communities, and to Saudi Arabia when they return home,” the statement read.